The Elusive Number Twelve Grimmauld Place
by Cardboard Tube Knight
Summary: The TARDIS is grounded and the only clue to its strange behavior, the Doctor is convinced, lies with Harry Potter-the seemingly delusional resident of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
1. The Elusive Number Twelve Grimmauld P

**The Elusive Number Twelve Grimmauld Place**

The Doctor sidestepped a volley of sparks as he hammered on the TARDIS's control panel. In the panic he'd dredged up bundles of wires from the console, rushing to try different combinations or at the very least redirect some power. Dropping the rubber mallet, he fanned haze away from the monitor before moving back to the keyboard.

"No. None of that makes sense," he slapped the side of the screen. "What are you doing?" After being on his own for any amount of time, he resorted to talking—to the ship, to himself, to anyone who would listen…

He glared at the towering cylindrical structure jutting up from the console. Its interior whirled and glowed erratically as he cranked at a small metal arm on the panel. The TARDIS shuddered and there was an explosive crackle of electricity followed by another shower of sparks. Wires dropped from the ceiling and steam billowed up from the floors. The ship wouldn't stay airborne. It definitely wouldn't access the Time Vortex.

This was his third failed attempt, though the ships condition would see to it that it was his last for now. He couldn't get a feel for what was doing it, but something was drawing the TARDIS down, playing at the ship's guidance so that it didn't know up from down.

_Or the Vortex from regular space, for that matter._

Grabbing hold of whatever he could, the Doctor fought his way to the door and threw it open. He was careful to keep a grip on the inside as he peered out at the London cityscape below the jerking and twirling ship. He slammed the door; the crash wouldn't damage the ship, though it didn't matter if he still couldn't take off.

The drone of the TARDIS engines suddenly became more apparent. He clutched the panel bowing down over the console to shield his face from another deluge of sparks and with a thunderous sound he was thrown to the floor.

The Doctor raked the sonic screwdriver toward himself and climbed to his feet. It would take a while for the ship to be ready to do anything and here he was again. Thrice he found himself in the same general area, same dull little London street. He made his way outside and found that at least this time he'd landed right side up. As he shut the door of the TARDIS, its blue police box camouflage appeared unharmed, unchanged. As it always was.

"What is wrong with you?" he wrapped on the side of the TARDIS. It was going to have to be left to repair itself. He turned back to survey the street. "What is it about this place—what's here, is it something I'm meant to see…" the Doctor extended the sonic screwdriver into the air and it chirped slowly. He brought it down to glance at the side of it and aimed it out at the line of flats ahead of him.

Crossing the street with the screwdriver extended in front of him, he checked the sign at on the side of the post boxes. It was quaint, short black iron fences guarded the windows with steps between them leading up to doors. He paced a portion of the sidewalk and glanced back. The detail in it was so small he didn't even notice at first. As the revelation washed over him, he fiddled with the screwdrivers top.

"Number Thirteen Grimmauld Place," he said before turning and pointing at the next address. "Number Eleven Grimmauld Place. Where's Number Twelve?" The Doctor glanced up at the side of the building. It was a numbering anomaly, not exactly unheard of. So why was the TARDIS sitting in the unusually large space between the two? He had seen this before; his own ship had something similar. His eyes flicked to the side to get a look at the building through his peripherals.

"There you are—right where no one is supposed to be looking—Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" the Doctor charged up the newly revealed steps to the blue door with the gargoyle knocker. He gave the area a once over with the sonic screwdriver. "It's not the usual perception filter—definitely not Time Lord—doesn't even appear to be alien. Someone went through a lot of trouble to hide you," he slapped the screwdriver shut.

Craning his neck up, he surveyed the windows. "Looks old, but not deserted," there was a light on in the third floor. After a quick check of the watch he wore, he straightened his bowtie and gave the hem of his tweed jacket a tug. "July 31st, 2000—well then, let's see whose home," he said as he poised his fist to knock on the door.


	2. The Doctor Arrives

A dull oscillating whir like a low, distant siren interrupted the festivities. It was the kind of sound that wouldn't have begged the attention of anyone else. Harry had ignored it at first too. When it broke the air the third time he was forced to hold a hand up to halt the celebration. Moments later there was an explosive crash that shook dust loose from unseen parts of the old flat.

In a blur of red hair and freckles, Ron and Ginny were at the window knocking their chairs away in the process. Harry pressed into the space allotted for him, jostling Ron to the side slightly in an attempt to catch sight of what had caused the sound. On the opposite sidewalk what looked to be a blue phone booth smoked and hissed. Above it a blue light blinked slowly.

There was a man in the street looking at _something_ in his hand. He checked the street and talked to himself in a tone almost loud enough to be heard from their perch on the windowsill. Hermione took her time getting reaching them and pushed her way up under Ron to see. She was the first to speak.

"That's never been there before…I thought they stopped making them _ages_ ago."

"Them? What is it?" asked Ron.

"A police box—I know you don't read anything, but you could at least bother to flip through a book and look at its pictures…" she trailed off.

As Ron and Hermione began to bicker, Harry kept his eyes on the man in the street. There was no one else in the lane, even at six in the evening.

The Muggles of Grimmauld Place had a knack for not noticing things—even things that were right in front of them, though this man was probably right there with them in that respect. He seemed absentminded; the way he flailed about the street with his flashing green stick. For a Muggle even, he was oddly dressed with the bowtie and pressed tweed jacket.

Harry's eyes strayed back to Ron and Hermione, the two of them now away from the window and into an open altercation. This was nothing serious or unusual—they'd only been doing it since they were eleven.

"Harry—"

Ginny's voice caused him to snap back to the window.

"Does he see the door?" she paused. The man in the lane turned to look directly at the door, he glanced up the side of Number Twelve taking it in. "He sees the bloody door."

It was silent. Harry's gaze whipped from the window, to her brown eyes and then back to Hermione and Ron. In a flash he was thundering through the upstairs drawing room and out the door into the narrow hall. He took the steps two at a time, drawing his wand. Behind him the footfalls of his companions could be heard clambering to follow him. He reached the last landing and ran the length of the hall out into the entry room. Checking the peep hole, he could see that the man had stalked closer and was unarmed. His long pale face was almost at the door now.

Harry threw the door open to find the man on the step with his fist raised to knock. Before he could say anything Harry aimed his wand into his chest. "Who are you?"

With a casual chuckle the man pushed the wand aside. "I'm the Doctor. Who are you—what kind of person goes around threatening people with twigs?"

Taken aback, Harry faltered his aim slightly. He could feel Hermione, Ginny and Ron behind him in the door now. "It's a wand," said Harry.

"Doctor?" Ron glanced at Hermione. "That one of them Muggle-nutters that goes around cutting on people?"

The Doctor pushed Harry's wand aside and flashed him with the little blinking light on a stick as if checking for something. "What kind of Doctor are you—and how did you see this place?" Harry asked lowering his wand.

"I just looked," he pocketed the small tool and glanced up at the flat. "Takes more than a simple perception filter to pull one over on me—though I am impressed. Year Two Thousand…where did you get that technology?"

"What's this loon talking about?" Ginny asked. "How can he see this place?"

He glanced to Ron and Ginny. "Gingers. Had a couple of ginger friends a while back—always wanted to be ginger myself," The Doctor paused backing away from the door to survey the apartment again. "Maybe next time…"

Harry and Hermione advanced out of the door, Ron took the threat of being dissected seriously and hung back. "There's spell used to disguise this place so that Muggles like you shouldn't be able to see it," Harry said.

"A what?" the Doctor said staring at him. "I'm not a Muggle. Muggle's a kind of plant farmed on the planet Clom—_how do you know about them?_"

"What—no—a _Muggle_ is what we call non-magical people. Humans," Hermione explained.

"Who says I'm human," the Doctor smiled, his lanky arms down at his sides. The prospect of magic didn't seem to strike him as odd in the least.

"If you're not human what are you?" asked Ron from the door.

"I'm Time Lord."

"Time _what_?" said Ginny. "You look human to me."

"You look Time Lord—we came first," the Doctor said making his way toward Hermione. He aimed the same blinking tool at her and plucked at the back of her bushel of brown hair examining each tendril as if it were his first time seeing hair. She clamped her arms down to her sides glancing at him nervously.

"What is that thing?" asked Harry.

"My wand," the Doctor said with a smile. He stepped away from Hermione staring at the side of the 'wand' and nodded. "Seemingly nothing abnormal about you lot…"

Hermione grimaced. "It doesn't look like any wand I've ever seen."

"Not really a wand—it's a sonic screwdriver. Okay then. Other than your obvious cover story about _Muggles_ and _Magic_, how do you explain elusive Number Twelve Grimmauld Place?"

"S'not a cover story—it's really magic," said Ginny stepping into the lane with Ron.

The Doctor slipped the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket and ruffled her hair. "Sure it is. If you want to believe in such silly things, that's your business. A lot of people don't believe I exist," he paused. "But something inside of your flat its wreaking havoc on my TARDIS," he pointed back to the blue police box over his shoulder. "And I can't get out of here till I figure out what it is.

Before they could protest he was running for the door and dipped his head inside glancing around. "What's a TARDIS? And—hey, get out of there!" yelled Harry pulling him back.

"Mmm," the Doctor turned to him with a smile. "Smells like you're having custard and fish—they wouldn't happen to be in the same dish, now would they?"


	3. Unwanted Guest

Despite their protests, the Doctor couldn't be kept out of the flat. He finagled his way into the dining room, aiming the sonic screwdriver at any and everything that sounded the least bit odd. He scanned his way down the walls over lines of odd knickknacks and small devices. Inside the house smelled lived in, though it was clean there was the unmistakable odor of years long past.

The furniture, the carpets and the wall papering—it all seemed to be of another time. While most places were about modernization this flat looked like the Doctor could have found a hundred like it in the 1840s. As he surveyed the ornate ceiling light he finally spoke again:

"I never did get your names."

"What?" Ron asked.

The Doctor slipped the sonic screwdriver into his coat. "You know, your name—what you're called."

"He's Ron—I'm Hermione. Over there is Ginny and Harry's the one that owns this place," she explained pointing to them in turn.

The Doctor looked to Harry. "Harry, eh? You're a bit young to own a place like this—your parents out of town or something?"

"Haven't got parents anymore…"

Something in the tone that Harry used registered with the Doctor and he nodded slowly. "I see," he paused. "I'd better get to work—if you want me out of your hair anytime soon. Were you lot busy with—"

"It was Harry's birthday," Ginny cut across him with a harsh tone.

"I see—Ginny, was it?" the Doctor asked before muttering. "Ginny, Ginny—its like Ginger. Okay, well I'm sorry to intrude but I've got an angry Time Machine outside if I can't get the engines back in flux they're going to phase out. Do you know what happens then?"

"They cart you back to the loony-bin with the rest of the half-cocked nutters?" asked Ron.

"No," the Doctor said walking closer to Ron. "If we're lucky, the resulting explosion will just level London…"

"I see," said Ron.

Hermione pointed to the front door. "Let me get this sorted. That police box outside—that's a Time Machine?"

The Doctor nodded. "It's a TARDIS, but yes that's the long and short of it. The police box is just a disguise." He started back into the entry room and took a right into the hallway, they all followed.

"Hell of a disguise—Hermione claims those things don't exist anymore," Harry said.

"Yeah, I've grown fond of it," the Doctor responded as he reached the stairs.

They moved up the stairs in a line, following him as he made his way into the drawing room. This was where he saw the light from the street and also happened to be the source of the fish and custard smell—though much to the Doctor's disappointment they two items were on separate serving plates.

"Excuse me, what are you looking for, Doctor?" asked Harry.

"Anything large enough or powerful enough to throw the TARDIS out of whack—I got ripped right out of orbit," he pantomimed something plummeting from the sky. "I'll know when I find it."

"And what are you a Doctor of—what's your name?" asked Hermione.

"I'm not a doctor of anything, just the _Doctor_—that's all," he explained. "I heard one of you mention magic a few times, usually magic is a more simplistic way of explaining high technology. Computers, telephones, cars—they look like magic to your ancestors. But whatever you're calling magic is probably just…"

Before he could finish Ginny drew her wand and with an upward flick of the wrist shouted an incantation. "_Levicorpus!_" the Doctor was flipped upside down and hoisted into the air as if he had been hooked to a string. He dangled, his lanky arms nearly dragging the carpet.

"Put me down! Down!" he grabbed for the screwdriver and curled his body to try and aim for his feet and then swung around to aim it at Ginny. But he couldn't make heads or tails of how to stop her.

Ron and Harry chuckled at her antic, but Hermione seemed upset about it. "Ginny that's enough," she said. "You could hurt him," silently she stepped forward with a quick wand movement, let him down. It was as if a rope holding him had been cut.

The Doctor sat up from the floor staring at Ginny as she stood with hands over her face to conceal her fit of giggles. "Well, I'd like to thank you for that demonstration, Ginny—I see that what you're calling magic seems to be extremely hard to spot as technology. But I've traveled a lot, several thousand star systems and thousands of periods of time—I've never come across magic that I could confirm was what it claimed to be," he said.

"Well you can be assured this is magic," Harry stated firmly.

"Yes. Well that aside, there must be something in this apartment that's causing the problem with the TARDIS—considering I've been in London several times I would guess its something relatively new…" the Doctor said.

Ginny sighed. "How can you really go all of these places and do all these things when you barely look older than me?"

"I told you, I'm a Time Lord—I'm so old I can't even keep track of it all because of the zipping back and forth between times and getting caught in alternate tangents…at last count I was nine hundred and four," he said.

"Bollocks," Ron muttered.

"We could at least _try _and help him, just in case he's telling the truth. It's no stranger than half of the things I've dealt with over the past nine years," Hermione said.

The Doctor short her a beaming smile. "Thank you bushy-haired-pretty-girl," he said.

"Hermione," she reminded him. "You said that it was something new to this place more than likely? What about one of the gifts—could it be messing with your TARDIS—Magic has been known to mess with electronics."

"Oh you're brilliant, I could kiss you!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Ron threw a possessive arm around her. "Yeah. Well don't," he said.

After a nod to Ron, the Doctor turned back to Harry. "So the gifts, where are they?" he asked.

"Over here, not opened yet," Harry said.

"Well then," the Doctor pulled a chair from under the table and dropped down into it with his arms dangling awkwardly at his sides. "The sooner we get this party finished, the sooner we can find out which of those boxes is causing the problem."

Reaching inside of his tweed coat, the Doctor produced a party hat which he then unfolded and strapped to his head.

"You carry that around on you all of the time, just in case?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, jackets bigger on the inside," the Doctor said giving the breast pockets a quick pat. "Now, where were we?"


	4. BAD WOLF

Despite the threat of city wide destruction hanging over the festivities, Harry could see that the Doctor was as much fun as possible. He wasn't sure why he believed the strange man who'd climbed out of the police box into the middle of Grimmauld Place and wandered up to Number Twelve. There was something sincere in his personality—like a hint that even if he was lying, the Doctor was trying to do what's best.

"So you're all a traveling trope of child magicians?" the Doctor said as he shoveled a overly-large piece of cake in his mouth leaving icing splattered on his lips.

"We're not ki—" Ron started but Hermione shoved him hard to the side.

"We're Wizards," she said.

Ginny brushed against his arm as she leaned in to speak near his ear. "You're not buying this shit about the time machine and blowing up London, are you?"

"I don't know, he seems to really want our help…" Harry whispered back as he unraveled the paper that cloaked another gift.

"He seems to really be enjoying your cake," Ginny quipped.

Harry held up a thick leather bound book, Advanced Wizardry Combat—it was from Hermione. He nodded to her. "Thanks," he said.

She beamed for a moment, proud of her gift. "You're welcome," she said. Her gaze fell upon the Doctor still enjoying the cake. "See, nothing unwrapped here has been the kind of thing that could cause harm to your ship…"

"There's one more," the Doctor pointed.

Ginny hefted the box and rolled it over her fingers. It was small, cardboard and white. There was a dull metallic clang inside as the contents were jostled. "There's no name on it," Ginny said.

"Did someone drop it off?" asked Ron.

"It was sitting on the windowsill, earlier," said Hermione. "Must have arrived by owl when no one was watching."

The Doctor's attention drifted back toward Harry as Ginny passed the gift over. Harry's fingers roamed over the waxy wrapping before he raked into it tore the paper away. As he lifted the top off the box and looked inside he found a silvery pocket watch staring up at him.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"Pocket watch—strange I don't know who it's from," Harry said. The watch was magnificent in its plainness. Ginny and Hermione leaned in to examine it.

"It's a watch, but it's just nondescript. Who would give you something like this—its so…" Hermione was cut off by Ron.

"…dull."

The Doctor lunged for Harry. "Wait, let me look at that!" Before anyone could protest he was holding Harry's arm steady and delved into his own pocket to produce a watch that bore an uncanny resemblance to the one Harry held. As the Doctor opened his own, revealing the face Harry opened his.

A scrap of parchment with words inked in sloppy quill-work was concealed inside of the watch Harry held. The words scrawled out on it burning a look of utter shock into the Doctor's face.

_BAD WOLF_.

The horrific stare in the Doctor's eyes read like a death sentence. Harry didn't know what it meant, he could tell that to Ron, Hermione and Ginny it was equally as unclear.

"Doctor, what is it?" asked Hermione.

"We've got to get the TARDIS on its feet again—we haven't got much time," the Doctor sprang to his feet.


	5. Silhouettes That Should Not Be

Several blocks away from the park adjacent Grimmauld Place and its hidden flat, Luna Lovegood waltzed the moonlit street to the beat of a song that only she could hear. Whether she was imaging the tune or being assaulted with another unseen foe which she would be mocked for believing in was debatable though.

Stopping to admire the shapes in the clouds against the silvery star strewn sky had held her up, she was very late for Harry's party. But it was just too clear a night for broom travel and with other forms of rapid travel would she would run the risk of missing more brilliant cloud formations.

She strolled on to a song, possibly of her own devising with a copy of _The Quibbler_ magazine and Harry's gift clasped lovingly to her chest. The streets were silent and London seemed more serene that she'd ever remembered it. Her mother used to say something about it being calmest before the storm, but for Luna, even storms were occasions for celebration.

Luna kept a brisk pace and she entered an area where people were congregated around the corners and crossing the streets. She moved in with the crowd, following the flow of the pedestrians out into the crosswalk and over to the street that would connect to Grimmauld Place. The sea of people broke away and rounded the corner as she turned her attentions skyward.

The moon and stars had been replaced by swirling masses of clouds highlighted by the lights from the city below. As the wisps churned and moved, the sky seemed to bubble with fury and cold winds swept the street. Rain wasn't uncommon in England—not at all. But something else made Luna clam up.

Frigid fingers forked their way through her veins and suddenly everything she had been hoping for in this night seemed to fall away. The world was darker and her sole desire was to reach Harry's party and get in doors.

Her legs pumped as she broke into a run, wrapping her arms about herself to ward off the cold as she thundered toward her destination. Light from a streetlamp trembled and then flickered out and for a split second Luna could have sworn she saw something.

_The unmistakable silhouette of something that shouldn't have been there…_

She flat out ran, her hand clutching the wand hidden beneath her Muggle clothing.


	6. Fear Itself

**Author's Note: **_Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who's reading and keeping tabs on this story. It's been a real treat to write._

There was determination in his stride as the Doctor thundered room to room in Number Twelve. He stuck his head inside, ignoring whatever strange sights he might perceive; they weren't the ones he was looking for. Harry, Ginny and Ron trailed him and he droned on in tones barely audible to them.

"This happened before…been stuck like this before…but that was different," the Doctor burst into another room to find a small gnome-like thing with bat ears cowering on the rug at the sound of his appearance. It seemed to have been eating dinner.

"Kreacher was eating! Why does this _Doctor _come in like this," the small being yelled.

Ignoring it, the Doctor slammed the door and stormed off for the next one. "Wasn't like this…last time," he said stopping midway between doors. "This house—has it got any rooms that seem too big to fit inside?"

"Harry…what's this git going on about?" Ron asked plainly now, Hermione didn't even bother to reprimand him.

"There's nothing like that here," Harry said calmly.

Hermione sighed. "What is this all about, the watch and the room that's bigger than it should be?" she asked glancing to the others. "We have seen magic that can produce that effect," she added.

The Doctor turned to face her. "Last time there was another TARDIS nearby something similar to this happened…but that'd be too simple…"

"What's simple?" Ginny screamed but the Doctor was already on his way to the next door.

When the room opened he was already heading toward the stairs again. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor hit the stairs running and between the sound of his footfalls something else could be heard, the tone of something distant and resonating—like a church bell. The trio followed him down flights of stairs to find the sound grew louder.

"Hope it's not too late…hope it's still inside there," the Doctor muttered.

It seemed to be emanating from the box itself. The sound reverberated off down the street. The police box itself seemed to be unchanged from the first time they had seen it. But as the Doctor reached it he threw open the door and shut himself inside. Ron was the first to reach the locked TARDIS.

"Aye, let us in!" Ron yelled beating on the door. A sharp wind blew and the mist from Ron's breath was visible.

Hermione shivered to the point her necklace jingled. "What do you think he means, he hopes it's inside?" she asked.

Ginny drew a shuddering breath and clambered up against Harry for warmth. "I don't know but the sooner he's gone the—guys," she pointed toward the moon as clouds swooped in over it blotting it from the sky.

"That doesn't look natural," Ron said.

Street lamps flickered weakly and icy air combed through the street, whipping at the trees. A sense of palpable dread washed over them like a tidal wave. With wands at the ready, they backed into a circle to defend and await the oncoming assault.

"Lumos!" Ginny said and her wand's tip burst into brilliant light that illuminated the immediate area surrounding them.

"You thinking it's too early for a cold front? This is Dementors?" asked Hermione with a shiver.

"It's got to be," Harry nodded. "And a lot of them."

The street was filled with the dry rattle of breath and the swishing of dark cloaks as oily masses of creatures with wretched hands filtered out through the city. The faceless figures wafted their way toward the trio around the police box and the mounting trepidation was almost too much.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" with the incantation Harry called forth a great stag from the tip of his wand in a burst of cerulean light. The glowing guardian animal charged the oncoming wave of Dementors and parted them.

Their ranks were so thick and Ron, Hermione and Ginny all cast their charms. A spectral dog, otter and horse raced through the streets splitting the Dementors ranks but not driving them back. They pushed onward and the spell was cast again and again, the incantation echoing off down the street.

The sheer number of the creatures and the TARDIS bell caused such a tremendous sound that Hermione was forced to yell to speak. "Why aren't they attacking?" she said as they rushed past, their cloaks whipping at her body.

Ginny's horse kicked one of the creatures into the side of the police box and it continued on out of the way. "They're just passing us by?" Ginny yelled.

"I don't get it," said Ron.

"They're running," Harry said. "They're running from something."

Behind them there was a creak of an old door opening and the Doctor shouted over the row. "Get inside! Quickly!" he snatched Hermione, the nearest of the group, right through the doors.

Following his request and not taking another moment to think it over they all piled in and the Doctor slammed the door.


	7. Of Wires, Whips and TubeyThingies

For a few moments the size of the inside of the TARDIS didn't dawn on Harry for a moment. The chill had worked its way in here too, but what Harry had thought would be a cramped space for five turned out to be spacious and when he glanced back he found himself standing near the door of an immense room.

Hermione and Ron had already fanned out from the door and were taking the room in. The ceiling was like a bubbled up dome and there was a short walkway that led to a metal grated floor where a circular control panel stood dominating the center of the room. Stairs led down on the other side of the room to an area below the panel. And in the very center of the panel jutting up into the air was a glass tube.

"Blimey," Ron muttered.

The walls were covered with dim lights and there was a door leading to somewhere else. Harry stepped out taking it all in as he headed toward the room's center. The Doctor walked back to lean against the panel. "Surprised? It's…"

"…bigger on the inside," Ginny finished his sentence. "We've seen something like this," she added.

"Mum and dad used to do a trick like this on cars to fit us all inside," Ron said.

The Doctor scoffed. "Magic I suppose. This is simple science—well not simple, but Time Lord technology."

Hermione studied the room, running her hand over the control panel as she passed. "There's more TARDIS ships out there—they're all like this?"

"There was once thousands upon thousands, now this is the last of its kind," the Doctor said. "Even if I wanted to grow more, they take hundreds of years to mature…"

Ron gasped. "Grow? This thing is alive?"

The Doctor nodded.

"There's another door back here—there's more room to this place?" asked Ginny.

"Got everything you'd need for a long trip; library, pool and a wardrobe—there might even be parts I haven't found yet," the Doctor said.

Something outside brushed against the wall of the TARDIS and everyone turned, startled. "The Dementors. They're…running from something," Harry said.

"What could scare a Dementor?" asked Ron.

"I don't know," Harry said.

"Dementors? That's what you call them—they're a bit of a hard case. Couldn't see them myself until I used an old trick," the Doctor delved his hand deep into his pocket, deeper than it should have been able to do and pulled out a pair of flimsy looking paper glasses with one red lens and one blue one. He slipped them over his face.

Ginny stifled a snicker, the Dementors effects seem lessened in the TARDIS. "Remind you of someone?" she asked looking to the others.

"Luna," Hermione answered with a smirk.

Harry walked back to the door and peeked out, the murky shadows of the creatures as they ripped through the street with their ragged cloaks could still be seen. They still moved by, seemingly endless now.

"We need to do something," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head. "No one Harry, no one could cast a Patronus of this magnitude, they could be overrunning the whole city," she said.

Harry slammed the door shut. "We can't just let them devour all of London!"

"Excuse me?" the Doctor said. "Devour?"

"They eat…happiness," said Ginny her face twisting into a worried expression. "And sometimes, they eat human souls…"

There was a lull in conversation and the sound outside became more apparent, the dry rattle of so many death-like creatures. The Doctor ran to the stairs, frantic. "I need you, bushy-haired-pretty-girl…um Hermione…how does this magic you're using work?"

"It's a trait you're born with, though you're lineage doesn't seem to make you more or less powerful…" she paused. "After a while you need to hone it and you need to usually study a lot to do so…"

"This Patronus thing is a type of magic? It gets rid of these Dementors?" asked the Doctor.

Ron nodded. "Yeah," he said.

Below the grated floor the Doctor delved into a closet pulling out all manner of strange devices and items. Ginny followed him down to the lower level. "What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Not exactly sure yet…just planning, looking as I plan," the Doctor said as his hand came out of the closet clasped around a whip. He looked it over. "That doesn't seem appropriate," he said pressing it back into Ginny's hands.

Hermione and Ron clambered over to the edge of the upper level to look down. "Not sure how knowing about magic is going to help you," Hermione said. "You can't use it…"

"I didn't think I could," said the Doctor. "But now then, the wands…tell me about the wands…"

"They're built around cores and we use them to focus and direct spells…" Hermione said. "Magic without a wand is just clumsy and…"

"Direct spells, that's what I thought," the Doctor said cutting her off. He emerged from the closet with a bundle of wires with clips hanging off of them, like multiple jumper cables. He slung the bundle of wires back over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. Before he reached them he grasped the whip in Ginny's hands. "Let's put that back now," he tossed it into the darkened closet. "I need your help with something, everyone over here!"

He led them back to the center of the room where he ripped the control panel open and dug into the wires there. "What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Saving the city, well you're going to do it…not me," the Doctor said. He tossed the bundle of jumper-cable-like wires over Ron's head. "You, Donald…"

"Ron!" Ron cut the Doctor off.

"Right, Ron—same firs letter as red—pass these out—help everyone get them attached to their wands. Hermione, climb up there and fetch me that single flimsy tubey-thingy," the Doctor said.

"Tubey-thingy?" Ginny cried as Ron helped her attach the clips to her wand. "You don't know the names of things in your own ship?"

"Tubey-thingy, blue-boringers, mallet, and this is how we manipulate the timey-wimey stuff. Okay," the Doctor pointed to all of these things in turn and clapped at the end. "Everyone got their wands hooked up?"

"Merlin's beard…we're all going to die," whined Ron as he nodded.

"We're not going to die," the Doctor said. "Now, Miss Ginny and Miss Hermione—I need one of you to threw this lever when I say go and the other needs to crank that silver thing while pounding on the black panel with the mallet," while he talked the Doctor was using the sonic screwdriver on some wires.

Ginny sighed. "We really doing this?"

Harry looked toward the door, the shadows passing the window of the TARDIS were apparent. "It's all we can do," he said.

"Alright, you ready?" the Doctor asked looking around. "When I give the signal I need everyone to cast that Patronus spell," he said.

They nodded.

"Miss Hermione and Miss Ginny, now please," the Doctor said.

They did as instructed and the TARDIS was jostled to life, steam and sparks raining down upon them as the whole thing shook. "We're only going to have one chance, make it count!" the Doctor shouted.


	8. Patronus

The TARDIS let out a violent screech as it lifted up into the air. The Doctor was at the control panel jerking switched up and down and muttering to himself. "Just hold straight for this, come on…"

The shriek grew louder as they went higher and there was a violent explosion that threw steam into the air and flooded the ship. Rushing around to the other side of the panel the Doctor cranked at a hook and drew another lever down. Sparks blasted up from the console and he aimed the screwdriver down into it. "Now!" he screamed. "Cast it now!"

Hermione started hers first and the others chimed in, wires dangling from their wands as they raised them up and shouted the incantation. "_Ex-expecto Patronum!_" they shouted.

A burst of green light filled the room and the tube in the center of the console filled with tiny shimmering creatures, an otter and dog racing upward, chasing one another; a stag and horse trotting in circles around the tube. The TARDIS trembled and light erupted outward from the tube marring the other shapes in the room and blotting them from sight. Expanding outward, the light gained speed and passed over the whole street, the whole area of town…until it burst out of the city limits.

From beneath the floor of the TARDIS near the door, six shadowy figures rose up through the light. They were hooded and taking raspy, panicked breath. Upon appearing it seemed they hadn't expected the power of the charm and they were pushed into the TARDIS wall and the light ate into them, stripping the darkness that was the Dementors away until there was nothing left.

The light of the Patronus crashed back into the core of the TARDIS until it was gone. The ship was calm and silent, sitting in the air with seemingly no difficulty flying now. The Doctor laughed, almost a maniacal sounding laugh. "That's it, there were some Dementors inside of the TARDIS! They must have gotten in to feed on its heart!" the Doctor said checking the monitor.

Confusion washed over the faces of the four Wizards. "Did that do it?" asked Ron. "That was wicked," he nodded.

"Wait, did you just say this thing has a heart?" asked Ginny.

"Yes," the Doctor leaned back on the control panel, "the TARDIS has a heart, it is alive. I imagine whatever made them run, made those few that were in here try and take refuge within the ship."

Hermione smiled. "So you're not going to blow up the whole of London anymore?" she asked.

"Doesn't look like it today, though that begs the question what drove the Dementors to run like that?" the Doctor said.

"And who put the watch on the windowsill?" Harry said.

"Awe, come now—that much should be obvious if you're really paying attention," the Doctor held up his pocket watch. "_I'm the Bad Wolf—I take the words and spread them through time and space to lead myself back here…"_ the Doctor said in almost a trance like state as he stared at the watch.

"You left it," Hermione said. "But not the you we met…the future you!"

"Ten points to pretty girl with the bushy hair—did anyone ever tell that you'd be good at this time travel thing?" asked the Doctor.

Hermione's face reddened and she averted her eyes. "I tried it once, can't say it's for me…"

"So that's it then? We've fixed your ship and the Dementors are gone—I think some might have even died…" Harry said.

"I suppose you're going to want to get back to your party," the Doctor said as he tinkered with the controls and brought the TARDIS back to the ground.

"Yeah," Harry smiled.

On the ground they disembarked from the TARDIS, the four of them glancing back at the amazingly small structure as the Doctor emerged and trailed them up to the door with a small box in his hand. As he reached the steps of Number Twelve Harry handed the watch back, "I guess you're going to need this one since you won't be keeping yours much longer…" Harry said.

The Doctor laughed. "Thanks," she said as he pocketed the new one.

Ginny circled the Doctor with a smirk. "I think I had the wrong idea about you," she said. "You're alright—a little crazy, but alright," Ginny offered him a hand to shake.

He drew her in for a hug, squeezing her awkwardly around the head. "Ginny—come on," he said as he pulled her close. He let her go and hugged Ron. "And you to Don," he released him. "I just love gingers…"

Ron shot Ginny a glance and they both chuckled.

"You aren't going to come in and join us for the rest of the party…there are others coming and…" Hermione said.

The Doctor cut her off, his head tilted to the side slightly. "Beautiful, bushy haired Miss…" he started but Hermione slipped her own last name in.

"…Granger…"

"…Miss Granger," said the Doctor opening his arms to hug her too. "I wish I could, but there's something out there that scared those Dementors and almost destroyed my TARDIS and London."

"Pity," Ginny said. "We were going to introduce you to Luna—if she showed. Damn…she's probably watching the clouds again."

The Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver. "Your phone, if you've got one Hermione?" he asked.

She handed it over. "I only have it to contact my parents really—they don't accept owls," she said.

With the screwdriver down over the phone's back he used the screwdriver on it and passed it back to her. "There, you can call me now—anytime from anywhere, or anytime. My name's under _The Doctor,_" he smiled.

Harry stepped in and shook the Doctor's hand vigorously. "I'll have to thank you, for making this, in actuality, one of my better birthdays," Harry chuckled.

"I almost forgot, I have a gift here for you," the Doctor said handing over the box. He tugged at the sleeves of his tweed coat and stood up straight as Harry took it.

Quickly Harry examined the box and then popped it open, he stared down at the contents. "Uh—thanks."

"You can keep it, I've got plenty," the Doctor said. Harry reached into the tiny box and plucked out a bowtie. "See," the Doctor said tugging on his own bowtie. "Bowties are cool," he said matter-of-a factly.

Ginny stifled a laugh, looking at Hermione who snickered too.

Ron opened the door and they all said their final good-byes as they moved up the steps into the flat. As the door closed the Doctor stood on the step for a moment examining the watch in his hand. "I'm sure I'll be see you again before all of this is over," he muttered.

As he turned to cross Grimmauld Place to the TARDIS he heard footsteps coming from the end of the street, someone was running toward him.


	9. Epilogue

"The party's over already?" a short pale girl with a mane of white blond hair trailing behind her asked from halfway down the block. Her voice was overly calm and serene. She was clutching a box to her chest and wore pink glasses that were too big for her face and seemed to be covered in glitter.

The Doctor delved his hands into his pockets and approached her. "Harry's? Nah, it's just getting started—I'd say," he said.

"You're Harry's friend? I don't think I've met you," she said placing a finger to her lip as she tried to remember. "You do look familiar, though."

"Maybe I've just got one of those faces. You're—let me guess, Luna?"

She nodded. "Now I know I know you from somewhere…" her words died out as she returned to thought. A moment later she drew a magazine up from between the box she held. "That's it, you're in my copy of _The Quibbler_," she opened the magazine and started to read. "_A nameless faceless Wizard or Warrior—known only as the Doctor_, I knew I'd seen you before…"

"Let me see that," the Doctor said and she handed it to him. He flipped through. "Well this is a terrible drawing of me. I'm not a Wizard…I'm not even human and—hey how do they know about Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" the Doctor asked.

Luna beamed. "People don't seem to want to believe, but I kept telling them…" she said in a tone that belonged to someone much younger.

"How would you like to see one, get proof for yourself?" asked the Doctor.

"Okay, but the party—" said Luna.

"I've got a time machine, I can have you back before you ever left…" the Doctor said. "Open invitation we can see as much or as little as you like—you might even be able to write _The Quibbler _with a few things they got wrong…"

Luna followed him back toward the TARDIS. "Is that it, the blue box? Your time machine? It's stunning," she said with a dazed smile.

"You like that? Then prepare to be amazed, Luna," with a snap of his fingers the TARDIS door opened bathing the lane in golden light.

She stared through the door. "Whoa—" she couldn't tear her gaze away from the inside of the ship. After a moment she said. "Okay, I just need to leave Harry and the others a note with the gift," she pulled out a slip of parchment and a quill pen from her bag and scribbled the not down.

_Friends, _

_Gone with the Doctor, be back soon._

_Love,_

_Luna Lovegood_

She tore off the slip of parchment and ran back to place it on the door with the package. "One more things Luna, could you write something down for me on a small strip of parchment and kindly slip it into this pocket watch?" he said handing the small object over to her. "Two words, seven letters—_bad wolf_."

Luna did as instructed and handed the watch back to him. "Is that good?"

"It's brilliant," he said. "Now if you will," he offered his arm and she grasped hold. "We've got a short trip to take into the past—I need to deliver something to myself," the Doctor said.

"That's all very interesting," Luna said.

As they neared the door he guided her in first. "Not as interesting as that lovely pair of glasses you have—I have some almost like it," the Doctor stepped in behind her and closed the door.


End file.
